The first feeling after a scam is often embarrassment. The first useful action is speed.

Stop communicating with the scammer. Save texts, emails, receipts, usernames, wallet addresses and screenshots. Then contact the company that moved the money. The FTC says to ask your bank, card issuer, payment app, wire service, gift-card company or cryptocurrency platform immediately whether the transaction can be reversed. Recovery is not guaranteed, but delay rarely improves the odds.

If you shared a password, change it—and every place you reused it. Turn on multifactor authentication. If you shared a Social Security number or identity details, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a tailored recovery plan and consider a fraud alert or credit freeze. If someone accessed your device, disconnect it, update security software, scan it and change passwords from a trusted device.

Report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Ignore anyone who promises to recover your money for an upfront fee; recovery scams often circle the first victimization like a sequel nobody requested.

FTC data show job-scam losses alone reached $501 million in 2024. Intelligent people get scammed because fraud is engineered around urgency, authority, hope and fear—not because victims lack common sense.

Shame asks you to hide. Recovery asks you to document, call and move.

Source: FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed

Related reading: Why Self-Compassion Does Not Lower Your Standards

This article provides general educational information and is not a substitute for individualized legal, medical, financial or safety advice.